If you’re looking forward to the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, here is what we know so far, and when it’s coming out as part of the 2025 movie schedule.
When it comes to Marvel Cinematic Universe upcoming movies, there are truly so many amazing things happening, and now, a new Fantastic Four film is happening.
It’s been attempted before, and Fantastic Four hasn’t necessarily had a good track record when it comes to its movies, but now, we’re getting yet another adaptation. For those who are wondering when we might be seeing the latest and greatest version of Fantastic Four, now confirmed as The Fantastic Four: First Steps from 2024’s D23 Expo, this is what we know so far.
What Is The Fantastic Four Release Date?
The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a release date of July 25, 2025, according to an official announcement from Marvel on their Twitter page in February 2024.
At San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, it was confirmed that the latest Fantastic Four reboot was going to come out in November 2024. However, that release date was pushed back.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Cast
We know more about the cast than ever before. Here is who will be playing who in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starting off with the main team, as reported by Deadline:
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards
Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards, the leader of the group in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The actor has received praise for his role in The Last of Us on HBO, but has appeared in a variety of other movies and shows like Game of Thrones, Narcos and more.
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
Vanessa Kirby will portray Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The actress has appeared in Napoleon, The Crow, Hobbs & Shaw, The Mission: Impossible film franchise and more.
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm
Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm. The actor gained fame for his portrayal of Stranger Things Season 4 all-star, Eddie Munson, and also had a role in A Quiet Place: Day One.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm
Ebon Moss-Bachrach is confirmed to appear as Ben Grimm, otherwise known as “the Thing” in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The actor is primarily known for his role in The Bear cast, but also held a minor role in the No Hard Feelings cast in 2023.
Julia Garner as Silver Surfer
According to Deadline in April 2024, it was confirmed that Julia Garner would play the Shalla-Bal version of Silver Surfer in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The actress is primarily known for her role in the hit Netflix series, Ozark, as well as starring in the miniseries, Inventing Anna.
Ralph Ineson as Galactus
The Hollywood Reporter said in May 2024 that Ralph Ineson will play Galactus, a famous Marvel villain who can eat the life force of planets and will be the main antagonist of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Ineson is known for his roles in movies like The Witch (one of the best A24 horror movies), The First Omen and more.
Paul Walter Hauser
Casting in an undisclosed role in Paul Walter Hause, according to Deadline in May 2024. Hauser appeared in the smash hit, Inside Out 2, as well as TV shows like The Afterparty, Black Bird, Cobra Kai and more.
John Malkovich
Reported by Deadline in mid-May 2024, John Malkovich will have a role that is still underwraps right now. Malkovich has appeared in films such as Being John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire, Places of the Heart, Ripley’s Game, Of Mice and Men, Dangerous Liaisons and more.
Natasha Lyonne
Deadline confirmed in mid-May that Natasha Lyonne would be in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Like several others here, her character name is not known just yet. Lyonne has appeared in several movies and TV shows. She was a part of the Orange is the New Black cast, and starred in Poker Face, a critically acclaimed television show on Peacock.
RUMORED – Robert Downey Jr. As Doctor Doom
The legendary MCU veteran made headlines back in July 2024 when it was confirmed he would return but as a different character – one that’s Doctor Doom. But there’s been a rumor going around that he could come back as early as The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
An industry insider, @MyTimeToShineH said on Twitter (via GameRant) that Downey Jr. might appear in the upcoming film, but keep in mind that this is only a rumor, and we have nothing else to go off of just yet.
God, talk about a stacked cast. I’m so eager to see what all of them have to bring to the table.
What Is The Fantastic Four: First Steps Going To Be About?
While plot details are still pretty slim, we do have a few key things as to what this new adaptation will be. Check it out below:
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Will Not Be An ‘Origin Story’
Fantastic Four is not going to be an origin story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Feige confirmed in an interview with the outlet in 2022 that the studio was taking the story in a different direction, and we wouldn’t be given an origin story like in many other superhero movies. Feige said:
A lot of people know this origin. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they've never seen before? We've set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Will Be A “Period Piece”
As confirmed by Kevin Feige in June 2024 in the Official Marvel Podcast, we know that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be a period piece – meaning, it will take place during a very specific time period, and while the art looks relatively similar to that of the 60s, Feige says that this isn’t necessarily the case:
It is a period film, and there was another piece of art we released with Johnny Storm flying in the air making a 4 symbol. There was a cityscape in that image. There were a lot of smart people who noticed that that cityscape didn’t look exactly like the New York that we know or the New York that existed in the 60s in our world. Those are smart observations, I’ll say…
Come on, now you just have me curious.
The Fantastic Four: First Times Will Take Place In A World Without Heroes
As confirmed in an interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, director Matt Shakman confirmed that this world we are about to see with the new heroes is in a world that doesn’t have other heroes in it:
The great thing about this is we're building a new universe where there are no other heroes. It's (just) The Fantastic Four.
That’s awesome and also terrifying and I can’t wait to see it.
The Movie Will Be A Part Of Phase Six
The good news about having to wait that long for the Fantastic Four film to come out is that it’s going to be a part of Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
For those who don’t know, Phase 5 began with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and is going to end with Thunderbolts*.
However, with that, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is going to begin the last phase of what Kevin Feige has called “The Multiverse Saga.”
Matt Shakman Is Directing And Josh Friedman Wrote The Script
Announced at 2022's D23 Expo, via Marvel Studios' Twitter page, it was confirmed that Matt Shakman is set to direct the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four, as we already know from the previous sections.
I’m sure that Marvel fans have heard of Matt Shakman. While he’s directed episodes of shows such as the hilarious The Great, as well as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, and Game of Thrones, he is known for one big role in the MCU and that’s his work on the legendary Marvel TV show, WandaVision.
Shakman directed and produced the series that went on to score several nominations at the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, and made the powerful Scarlet Witch even more beloved than she already was – which made her the best antagonist in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The director hasn’t done any other work on Marvel movies or shows in the past, so this will be his first time stepping into the director’s chair for a Marvel movie and I can’t wait to see what he does. Even if Jon Watts (who directed the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy) did leave the production, I feel that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in good hands with Shakman.
The script was written by Josh Friedman, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in March 2023.
Originally, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were the original writers for the project but were replaced by Friedman. The screenwriter has worked on a variety of different movies and television shows, including War of the Worlds, Snowpiercer, Foundation and more, so I think the movie is in good hands. He even worked on the story for Avatar: The Way of Water, so it’ll be exciting to see what kind of tale he has for these heroes.
Michael Giacchino Will Score For The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Something else that was confirmed at D23 2024 is that Michael Giacchino will be back to score The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Giacchino has been responsible for some of the best scores that the MCU has had to offer. These include the scores for Doctor Strange, all three Spider-Man films under the MCU, and Thor: Love and Thunder. He’s also done scores for several Disney films before, as well as movies like Society of the Snow, The Batman, Jojo Rabbit and many more.
The Movie Is Using A Lot Of Sets
While Marvel is pretty much known for its CGI-use, it sounds like The Fantastic Four: First Steps will have some great sets. The composer of the movie, Michael Giacchino, said in an interview on YouTube with Brandon Davis that there were “real sets” everywhere and not “a green screen to be found:”
I was just on set for a week. It was just something to see real sets everywhere. There wasn't a Volume or a green screen to be found. It was just beautiful sets. They're doing such incredible work and the actors all look amazing.
Now that makes me excited.
Filming Is Ongoing
After so much waiting and delays and agony, we finally know that filming for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has begun. The news was confirmed by the cast and crew at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that filming began in July 2024. Check out the official Marvel post from Instagram where they confirm the news:
Filming has been ongoing as of October 2024, where MovieWeb posted set photos from Reddit, featuring behind-the-scenes pictures of Human Torch.
All this waiting for new news about this movie is driving me crazy – here’s hoping we get some new info very soon. I’ll just continue to watch all the latest and greatest Marvel movies until then.
